The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is set in the early 1920s, in the hustling state of New York. Nick Carraway acts as the narrator, a stockbroker who has recently moved to the West Egg into a quaint house, shadowed by a monstrosity of a mansion belonging to a Mr. Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is the wealthy host of regular parties, whereby socialites come from far and wide to enjoy a seemingly endless supply of liquor, food, and music. Nick, not having many contacts in New York, meets with his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom, whose marriage is one of considerable complications, and a friend of theirs, Jordan. The three inhabit the East Egg, considered the land of the affluent and aristocratic.

Tom takes Nick to meet his mistress, Myrtle, who lives in the very unglamorous, Valley of Ashes. The group ends up in an inner-city apartment for a drunken afternoon that is cut short by Tom breaking Myrtle’s nose, having lost his temper at her mention of his wife’s name. Soon, Nick is met with an invite to one of Gatsby’s parties and in attendance, meets the man of mystery late into the night. Gatsby takes Nick out for lunch and the two quickly become well-acquainted. Promptly, Jordan informs Nick of the relationship that Gatsby once shared with Daisy. It becomes apparent that Gatsby is still deeply in love with Daisy, whose distance has served as a motivation for all of his success, in the hopes of one day winning her back. A lunch is set up between the estranged lovers and their relationship is quickly rekindled. Gatsby meets Tom on a few occasions, leaving Tom intrigued by Gatsby’s inconspicuous past that garners much gossip.

Daisy hosts a lunch at her apartment, with her husband along with Gatsby, Nick, and Jordan in attendance. Tom, increasingly suspicious of Gatsby, is soon privy to his affair with Daisy which he announces to the group, after they reserve a room at the Plaza Hotel. Gatsby fires back, convinced not only that Daisy loves him, but also never loved Tom. While she can admit the former, she cannot categorically say that she never felt any love for Tom. Tom goes on to expose him as a bootlegger, and Daisy’s love for Gatsby begins to fade. Consequently, Tom insists that Daisy drive back from the hotel with Gatsby, as he knows he has quashed their romance. On the way back, the couple hit a woman, only to drive on. It is revealed to be Myrtle, and Tom is convinced it was Gatsby who hit her. In actual fact, Daisy was behind the wheel, but Gatsby insists on protecting this knowledge from anyone but Nick. Myrtle’s husband, Wilson, enraged, embarks on a vendetta to find Gatsby, who Tom informed him was responsible. While swimming in his pool, Gatsby is shot dead by Wilson, who shoots himself quickly after. Nick, still loyal to Gatsby, organises his funeral, and to his disappointment finds only Gatsby’s father, servants, and a single party guest in attendance. Nick, affected by Gatsby’s unwavering hope for the past and blindness to reality, tires of life on the East Coast and heads off to Minnesota.